Katrina woke the next afternoon to see a big wolf standing over the baby. She covered her mouth to keep from screaming, as she tried to figure out how to move the big animal. Where was Bryan? Was he dead?

The wolf turned toward her, its golden-brown eyes peering at her curiously. As she frantically searched around the room, she noticed the small fire that Bryan kept in the room was still lit. Maybe she could use that to get the wolf away from the bed. As she eased herself to the bottom of the bed, she rallied all her strength to stand up and tried to figure out how she could use the fire to scare the wolf off.

As she stumbled off the bed, she let out a small squeak, and the wolf took a step toward her. Katrina looked around trying to figure out what she could grab to scare the wolf away, when she saw Bryan appear in the doorway. A sigh of relief escaped her, and she whispered his name trying to get his attention.

Bryan turned, and the grin on his face faded when he saw her. When he rushed to her, she put her hands up. “The wolf! We need to get it away from Arthur.”

Bryan frowned, confused, before finally saying, “Minx, out!” while pointing to the door.

When the wolf huffed, Katrina felt a moment of panic thinking Bryan might be delusional. When he simply pointed to the door and said out again, she blinked watching the wolf walk out the door without incident.

Before she could ask one of the many questions rolling around in her head, Bryan was next to her, his arm coming out to help her stand. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself getting out of bed?”

“There was a wolf standing over the baby––” Katrina started to say, when she realized that the wolf had listened to him. She took a step back causing him to let go of her. “The wolf, it listened to you.”

Was he a warlock like Merlin, or maybe he was a demon working with those men who had attacked her? “I’ve raised that wolf’s mate since he was a pup. When the two mated, she moved in. Minx’s’ pup died last year, and she seems to really love watching Arthur.”

“You let a wolf near him?” Katrina practically shrieked the words.

Arthur let out a cry after her shriek, and she realized she must have either awakened him or startled him. As she took a step forward, she felt Bryan’s arms slip around her pulling her close. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, again, and her hand had nowhere to go but his chest. His skin felt warm under her hand. He wasn’t hairy but instead had a light trail of hair that disappeared into his pants.

“I would never let anyone hurt you or the babe,” Bryan said against her ear.

Katrina tilted her head to look up at him. His face was so close, she could feel his breath on her lips. She knew she should fight against him, but at this moment, she couldn’t remember why. Her breath caught in her throat, and she started to wonder what it would feel like if he kissed her.

The sound of Arthur whimpering snapped her out of her thoughts, and when she pushed gently, he released her easily. Her legs steadier than they were earlier, she made it to Arthur’s bed. She bent down to pick him up, holding him to her as he fussed.

She looked over at Bryan who was watching her. “You have two wolves?”

“I have four,” he said calmly, as he kept an eye on her. “Do you remember the day you were attacked by those men in the woods?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding as she went and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Do you remember how you got away from those men?” She frowned thinking about it. The man was holding her, and she was trying to think of how to get away. She remembered hearing a growl, and a flash of white before he let her go. It had been a wolf that saved her.

“He was attacked by a white wolf,” Katrina said. “I didn’t see much after that, just white fur and then I ran.”

Bryan nodded, taking a step toward her, putting his hand on her elbows as she held the baby to her. “Snow saved you and then followed you into the woods and lay against you. He was the reason the two of you didn’t freeze to death. With the snow falling, I might not have been able to find you after you ran away.”

Katrina sort of remembered a white figure coming toward her. She didn’t think it was a person, but she was so tired and cold by then she couldn’t be sure. But, the wolf that was just in here was a darker wolf. “You have four wolves. One of which you claim saved me.”

She felt Bryan reach up, push a piece of hair and place it behind her ear. “I would say I did it all by myself, but there were a lot of men after you, and I would never have been able to save you on my own.”

For some reason, that confession made her smile. She didn’t realize how close he had moved as he spoke until she realized the only thing between the two of them was the baby. Her mouth suddenly dry, she licked her lips as her eyes met his. A blush spread on her cheeks when she realized he was watching her mouth. “Are you sure they will not harm us?”

Bryan smiled down at her. “Are you brave enough to let me show you?”

Her spine straightened, and she nodded. “Let me put Arthur down.”

Before she could move, Bryan took him from her arms. When he smiled down at the baby in his arms, she felt her heart skip a small beat. “Can you stay in your bed while I introduce Katrina to your friend Minx?”

It almost looked like Arthur smiled back at him, which was silly. He was too young to smile at him let alone understand what he had said. She watched him place the baby gently in the crib before stepping closer to her. When he stood before her, she gathered her courage. For some reason, him finding her weak upset her.